Sarah Borst Jarvis

No. Although tempting, I will not name my next daughter Eve Altra. I just wanted to show you my new favorite shoes . I fell in love with them back in February, when I saw them on Leslie's feet. Right away I knew I needed a pair. But they were not for sale yet. Leslie just happens to be married to one of the founders of Altra . How convenient! I was hoping to get my hands on a pair by Christmas but Karl surprised me with a pair of Eves on my birthday! Yay! I am not a minimalist runner. I do have some shoes that are zeroed-out and a pair of Intuitions but I only wear them on rather short runs. I like the idea but I am very cautious and not a fan of change. Some day... Maybe... I love to wear my Eves to the gym . Boot camp, plyometrics, weight training, core synergistics, body sculpt, elliptical... Pretty much everything but cycling and running. I hate socks and shoes. In the spring/summer/fall I wear flip flops , in the winter I wear cozy boots without socks. To the gym I wea...

Well, clearly not the head or hand position John would like to see. Just a little 'photo shoot' though, so I hope in 'real life' I can do better than that. Flip turns have never been my forte. Ok. I'll admit: The whole swimming thing is not my forte these days. It never has been. Why not? My form sucks. I get cold. Chatting with friends is impossible. Chlorine gives me a headache. The scenery leaves much to be desired. As I have mentioned before, I grew up swimming. Hard to believe. I joined the local German swim club when I was 6 and swam a few times a week until I was 12. Then I was banned from the pool for a year because of health issues. I think that is when the trouble began. My younger sister had always been a fish and that year she got really good and I've been chasing her ever since. She maybe swims once a week these days but I am positive that she could still out-swim me any day. Who wants to get beat by her younger sister as a teenager? Not me!...

It is October ! My favorite month is filled with fun : my birthday, colorful leaves, clear blue skies, Noah's birthday, perfect temperatures, fantastic bike rides, trail runs, pumpkins, fall festivals, and Halloween! Not knowing what to make for dinner last night, I decided to make desert instead. Healthy desert, of course. And since it is October, it had to involve pureed pumpkin . I decided on pumpkin cobbler - without the crust. It was taking way too long in the oven, so... I decided to go swimming . The boys went to Karate . I took a long hot shower. Saw my friend, Jennifer, at the pool. We talked for like an hour. By the time I got home, the kids were asleep and I was starving ! So I skipped dinner (not always a fan of leftovers) and had pumpkin cobbler with banana and yogurt. Repeat once. Repeat twice. Yumminess ! Guess what I had for breakfast this morning? More pumpkin cobbler, banana, and yogurt! Because - why not? Then I hopped on my bike for another shot at trying-...

In the picture above I am about to take a yummy treat out of my bento box. Hurray for good nutrition ! I realize that just because I did not have any issues in Vegas does not mean this is always going to work. But for now I have it somewhat figured out and so I want to write it down and remember for next season. And maybe give you some ideas. Only problem: I am already forgetting ... I shouldn't have postponed this post for so long... Starting on Thursday, I put even more emphasis on staying hydrated . In addition to drinking plain water, I took a couple of electrolyte capsules a day. Not a fan of taking pills but I do as Coach says. I prefer MetaSalt because each pill is loaded with the good stuff and that means less pill-swallowing for me. I also loaded up on electrolyte tablets . Can't have enough of those. Drinking plain water gets old sometimes and I like to spice up my drink with these little fizzies. I would drink a bottle of plain water, then reward myself with a bottl...

... a Mint/Chocolate GU ! I am in the processing of writing my nutrition report for the Vegas 70.3 ... What? Another post on that race? A month later? ... I know. I know. But nutrition is a big deal and I want to get it right next time. And who knows? Maybe it will help someone else out there. Now I can't stop thinking about my favorite training and racing treat . Looks like I will need to go on a long run tomorrow, so I can get my mint/chocolate fix!

I realize that my arms don't look all that strong. But it seems that they are in decent shape . Well, they're not. Not at all. Turns out that they are pathetic little wimps . I guess I should not be too surprise since I hardly do any weight training , especially during racing season. I do a lot of core and quite a few exercises with my own body weight but I am not a fan of weights. Part of the problem is that I know nothing about weight training. I own a pair of 5-pound what-are-those-these-things-called*. Come to think of it: I don't even own them. I have been borrowing them from a friend for the last few years. Thanks, Jen! * "Karl, what are the weights called that we have in the closet?" "Aehm. Dumbbells. I think. Not sure." Clearly my bike mechanic isn't of much help in this department. After Vegas, I started going to a ' body sculpt ' class at the Y. I went last winter and it's super fun. Everything with loud dance music is ...

The Soulstice Trail Race , it seems to me, is the most popular race in town. Unfortunately, I have no opinion on this matter. I was not racing. Karl was the lucky one this weekend! (After someone offered me their slot , I considered jumping into the race as well. For fun. But it was going to be complicated with the boys. I don't like 'complicated' in my off-season. So I declined.) See Karl in this picture? Nice move , Karl! He did not hear the gun go off, and the start took him by surprise . Nevertheless, he quickly moved into 3rd position and with 1/2 a mile to go, pushed hard and overtook 2nd . Congrats , on a fantastic 2nd place! It looks to me like his ' minimal training ' approach, is working well for Karl. (Read: Thank you, Karl, for your support!) Unfortunately, he took a bad spill at the beginning of the race. Lots of trail rash and a banged-up knee. Thanks for braving our Sunday hike anyway. We wish you speedy recovery ! PS: Excuse me. Gotta go. Max (3)...

Photo: Jamie Pearson A few days after the race, I was getting ready to jump in the water for Masters, when a friend asked me about the race. Our conversation went something like this: She: "How was your race?" Me: "It was great! Super fun !" She: "I heard you did really well." Me: "Yeah. Everything just came together and it went perfectly ." Coach Liz chiming in: "Except for the swim..." Me, laughing: "Yes. Except for the swim . And a billion other little things..." She: "But you just felt good the entire time and it did not hurt?" Me: "Aehm. No. I was in a world of pain for at least half of the race." So I guess a perfect race is relative. I feel like Vegas was as close to a perfect race as I could've hoped for. That does not mean that there is not a lot of room for improvement or that every little detail went smooth. To me, it means that the most important things fell into place, that my mind w...

Crush it in Kona, Spencer ! I have had a cold for the last 2 weeks and now I have a nasty stomach bug . Not fun! The cold hasn't kept me from being active and having fun. But after being awake most of the night throwing up, I have zero energy and exercise is the last thing on my mind. I am glad I was able to get dressed. I don't enjoy being sick (who does?!?) but I am so grateful the bugs did not hit last month! Making it to Vegas happy and healthy was a huge blessing ! So, I am not complaining... Hope everybody that is still racing, especially those toeing the line in Kona, is healthy and ready to rip it up!

I have about 20 other things I want to blog about, but this takes priority today: The guy in yellow/white/black is my coach, Heath Thurston . He was running the St. George Marathon today and was on his way to a speedy PR . When Heath was only a few seconds away from the finish, he saw a guy in front of him falter and collapse . He did not think twice but stopped, picked up the other runner, and helped him across the finish line. I am so impressed . By Heath's PR of 2:53 as well as by his great example! Way to make us proud, Coach! You are my hero ! I am hoping he will tell us his story here soon.